Game Urges EU Policymakers To Keep USK And PEGI In Draft KIDS Act

While backing the European Commission’s online-safety objective, game – The German Games Industry Association has asked EU policymakers to preserve USK and PEGI as the basis of video game age ratings under the proposed EU KIDS Act. It published three requested amendments on 9 de noviembre de 2026, arguing that the current draft could weaken youth protection.

The association said new European codes of conduct could override established national procedures, potentially producing a 12+ rating for the same game in one store and a 16+ rating on another platform. That conflict strikes at the USK’s function as a consistent guide for parents choosing games in Germany.

Managing Director Felix Falk said: “Games are not social networks, and they need their own rules. Children have a right to protection – and a right to play. To achieve this, the successful system of self-regulation must be strengthened, not weakened.”

The Case for Established Ratings

The association reported that 89 per cent of parents in a recent German survey considered USK ratings a reliable aid when choosing video games. The USK, formally the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body, has issued age ratings for more than 30 years in cooperation with the Supreme Youth Protection Authorities of the German federal states.

The USK was among the first organizations globally to add interaction and usage risks to its assessments in 2023, the association said. The criteria cover purchase incentives, loot boxes, communication features and pressure to continue playing, taking evaluations beyond game content alone.

The Requested Amendments

The first requested change would safeguard USK and PEGI, including their decision-making structures, instead of establishing entirely new rating procedures. The second would tie protection obligations and age checks to actual risks and existing self-regulation criteria, reflecting the association’s position that games have protective mechanisms distinct from social networks.

For the third change, game wants the act to strengthen parental controls already available on consoles, platforms and within games. Those tools address content, spending, communication and playing time, and the association said blanket access restrictions should not disproportionately curtail parental responsibility or digital participation by children and young people.

The Proposal’s Requirements for Games

The European Commission adopted the EU KIDS Act proposal on 17 de septiembre de 2026. The proposal would require games to be safe by design and app stores to age-rate every app, including video games, using a published methodology. Stores would also have to prevent children from accessing or buying age-inappropriate apps and carry the EU age-verification app, while national authorities designated by member states would supervise video games that are not online platforms.

Public feedback remains open until 3 de diciembre de 2026, at midnight Brussels time. For game publishers and storefronts, the consultation leaves a concrete issue to resolve: whether the final framework will accommodate established rating systems or allow the divergent classifications that game’s requested changes are intended to prevent.